Phoenix Heart
by SuJuBiased
Summary: Kori-anne Lin received community service after her news that her sister died. She lashed out in anger, aiming towards the doctor who couldn't save her. Now, she's stuck with her childhood friend, Nathan Young, and four others in community payback. Things changed once the lightning hit us and I gained healing and immunity powers.
1. The storm

**An: I know I haven't updated anything in almost three to four years. I'm graduating from high school, so I got a lot of things to do. This was finished during my winter break. Also, my new interest in Iwan Rheon kept me going.**

* * *

Kori could have called Nathan, but she's gone too far into her plan to stop now. Her sister was dead and no doctor had not taken her, saying that they didn't have enough money to even cover a quarter of the medical bill. A doctor volunteered to exam her sister, but couldn't find the source to her disease. The little girl had grown weaker by day and her big sister was at a lost. All this studying for medical school led her to this decision: she was going to have to break into a pharmacy.

* * *

Kori's POV

Our parents died when she was only 4 years old. Since then, we lived with our aunt who died from a heart attack when I was 15 years old. I was now 17 and the social worker decided that I was old enough to take care of my sister by myself, as long as I get a steady job and finish school, with an additional condition that the social worker would check on us every week. Because of our situation, I thought it would be too risky to quit school when I had a year away, so I decided to graduate early. I proposed this to the social worker and she supported me all the way, offering to pay half of the course fees. I took classes during summer and an extra class in school just to fulfill the graduation requirements.

Nathan didn't understand why I tried so hard to learn, but then again, he never liked school. He was 2 years older than me, yet I was the responsible one. His mam warned me about his bad influence on me. I assured her that his idiocy would not bend my will. She was like a second mother, along with my social worker. She would have taken us two orphaned girls under her roof had Nathan been a good boy. She and I both feared that he may influence little Kylie terribly, we rejected that idea begrudgingly.

Kylie later became horribly sick when she turned 8 years old. I thought it was a nasty flu until it came worse. The fever went up, and so did the amount of treatment for her. I took her to her regular checkups and told me the exact same things I've been doing the whole time. I decided to find the solution myself, researching through medical books at the library and medical journal articles from the internet. She had a loss of appetite, burning fever, and fatigue, like many sicknesses. Then why wasn't any of the treatment working?

Her medication was running out and my latest job had been broken into. The owner decided to let go several employees in order to pay for the damage. The rent of the flat had risen and could only be lowered if I did some 'favors' for him. I refused to and there is a possibility that we may lose the flat. Rain keeps falling before I could even attempt to stop it. I couldn't ask our social worker or Nathan's mam because I fear that I may never be able to pay them back.

One day, our social worker offered to look after Kylie while I went out to buy some food. Half way around the block with an armful of groceries, my phone began to ring. I shifted the bag to my left arm and fished out my phone from my pocket.

"Hello?" I answered.

There was sniffling from the other end. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just left for a second… and when I got back, she… she… she stopped breathing. I checked her pulse and everything! I'm so so sorry, Kori, but Kylie… she's gone. She was too weak to keep fighting."

The package fell, the eggs cracked, milk was leaking from its carton, people bustled past, but all I could think of is the rage I felt towards everything. The hospitals, the doctors, the landlord, the shop owner, everything. I just wished that the cracks under my soles widened and swallowed me whole right at this spot or my glasses to teleport me to wonderland. That wouldn't do anything. These people deserve payback.

* * *

Four months later

Nathan swung an arm around my shoulders lazily, leaning against the railing as Tony, the probation worker, told them about how their 200 hours community service could not only change how people view us, but how we view ourselves. Next to Nathan was a smoker called Gary, next to me was a dark-skinned athletic guy called Curtis. Down the row was a blond girl with a thick accent, Kelly, the girl with wiry brown hair and a sexual aura is Alisha, and the quiet boy at the end is Simon.

Nathan raised his hand. "What if they're right about us? No offense to you guys, but I think some of us are born as criminals," he said.

"You looking to get stabbed?" Gary threatened.

"Yes, he is," I muttered, scooting away from the two as they got into each other's face.

"You see my point there?" Nathan asked as Alisha's phone rang.

"I shouldn't even be here," Curtis complained.

"Wha' makes you be'er then us, yeah?" Kelly snapped, crossing her arms.

Nathan raised a hand to his ear. "What was that? That was just noise. How are we supposed to understand that?"

"Hey?" Alisha said into a phone.

"Doesn't matter what you've done in the past," Tony continued.

"Doin' my community service," Alisha went on.

"Hey, put that phone away. I am talking," Tony ordered, pointing at her.

Alisha pulled the phone away, exasperated. "I thought you were done."

"You see my mouth moving? That means I'm still talking!"

"It could be you yawning or chewing," Nathan added, making matters worse. Alisha laughed.

"My probation worker," Alisha answered the person on the other end. "So fuckin' boring." She rolled her eyes.

"End the call. Hang up," Tony ordered.

"You alright there, weird kid?" Nathan asked Simon who looked a bit hurt.

"Nathan, shut your trap," I scolded, crossing my arms.

"Don't be disgusting, I'll call you later," Alisha said and finally hung up.

"I'm gonna rip your throat and shit down your neck," Gary threatened Nathan.

I raised my hand slowly before things got even more heated. "Yes, Kori," Tony said appreciatively.

"Um, so what are we going to do?" I asked. They all looked at me with irritated looks, except Simon who looked a bit out of place.

* * *

We were assigned to paint the wooden benches outside of the community centre. Alisha painted with Curtis, Kelly painted with Nathan, and I painted with Simon and Gary. I wished that Gary was placed at another bench as he kept whining and swearing to himself. It hasn't been 5 minutes when he gave up.

"I got paint on my cap now! This is bullshit," He shouted, standing up and kicking the paint over. The others looked after him in amusement as he attempted to push a trolly over.

I shook my head, taking over his side of the bench to paint. Simon glanced at me, his face half-hidden by the bench. I stopped painting and looked up at him, pushing up my glasses.

"Hi," I greeted.

"H-hi," he replied, "Um… you okay?"

I nodded. He seemed like a nice guy. He's different than the others who don't really give a shit. He smiled at me, then continued to paint. Of course, Nathan ruined our peaceful and friendly moment.

"What about you, weird kid?" Nathan asked him, referring to why he was court ordered to do community service. "Don't take this seriously, but you look like a panty sniffer." Nathan mimed sniffing a pair of pants.

"I'm not a panty sniffer!" Simon said defensively, "I'm not a pervert!"

Nathan continued with his ridiculousness, miming a hand job with his paintbrush, accompanied by grunts and moans. Simon looked uncomfortable.

"I tried to burn someone's house down!" Simon confessed, looking away.

The Irish boy made a face. I got up from my squatting position and smacked him at the back of his head. He gave me that pouty face he always used on me when I scold him. I shook my head, then noticed the clouds by the city. "What is up with this weather?" Nathan asked, finally realizing the approaching clouds.

"What is this?" Tony came over and gestured to the paint can. "I leave you for less than 5 minutes… does someone care to explain to me because I…" He raised his hands up in defeat, "I don't know."

I turned my back towards them, knowing that they are no ordinary clouds. Lightning coiled within its foggy wisps of darkness. Simon took out his phone beside me, putting it on video. In the middle of Nathan's and Tony's argument, the clouds became alarmingly close.

"What the hell is that?" Alisha shouted.

A huge rock of ice landed on a car nearby. Tony's car, apparently. Nathan laughed in amusement, but was cut short as more fell near him. I looked up at the sky and saw one heading near me. I yanked Simon's collar and dragged him away from the bins. We ducked as one landed straight in.

"I need everyone inside! Move!" Tony ordered.

We didn't have to be told twice. We held our arms over our heads as we followed Tony towards the centre. I ran next to Simon and Nathan, tugging on Simon's sleeve as he filmed the storm on his phone. Curtis tried the front doors, but it was locked. The others were yelling at Tony as he struggled with the keys, his hands shaking too much.

"Open the fuckin' doors!" Alisha yelled.

"Don't talk to me like that!" Tony shouted, turning around.

I looked up right when a bolt of lightning struck, pulling the group back from the force. I felt an electrical circuit that burnt through my veins, flashing through my eyes, then gravity took its course. My vision was blurry for a while until I blinked a couple of times.

"I feel funny," Kelly said. I nodded in agreement, taking note in my cracked glasses.

"That would be the lightning," Curtis said.

"We should be dead," Simon pointed out.

I got up slowly, eyeing Tony's body. He was twitching a bit. "Um, shouldn't someone say something?" I asked.

"Yeah, a little bit of assurance will be fine," Nathan whined sarcastically at Tony. "'Hey, are you guys alright?'"

"Wanker," Tony grunted as he struggled to get up.

"Did he just call me a wanker?" Nathan asked me.

"But you are a wanker," I replied. I took off my glasses and examined them. They were far beyond repair at this state. Where was that fixing spell from Harry Potter when you need it?

"You alright?" Kelly asked cautiously.

"Mm, let's just call it a day, huh?" Tony said.

* * *

The other two girls and I got changed in the locker rooms while the boys waited outside. I placed my broken glasses in my locker and tested my eyesight. So far, there wasn't any blurriness like the usual. It was as if my eyes improved without those bloody glasses.

Alisha was facing her locker while looking at Kelly with a mocking smirk. Kelly was brushing her hair back, even though her blond hair was already tied-up in a ponytail. I was shrugging on my jacket when Kelly snapped at Alisha.

"Wha' chu say?" She said, turning around to face her.

Alisha backed off. "I didn't say anything?"

Kelly turned slowly back to the mirror and continued to brush her hair. After a few seconds, she snapped at Alisha again, advancing towards her. Alisha looked at her like she was crazy and left the locker room.

"Wha' ya' lookin' at. Shorty?" Kelly snapped to me.

"Um, what happened, exactly?" I asked curiously.

"I fockin' swea' I heard her speak," Kelly insisted.

She placed her hairbrush in her locker and accidentally slammed the door on her hand. She swore without restraint, yanking her fingers away. Because of the strength from her anger, not only were they bruised, but also swollen and slightly bent. My medical instincts kicked in at the sight of the injury.

"Wha' ya' doin'?" Kelly gasped, pulling her hand from my grasp.

She went to exam her hand, only to see nothing. No bruise or swelling at all, like they were never there. Kelly flexed her hand, then looked back at me. Suddenly, she opened her locker again and pulled out a razor blade. I stared at it, wondering what she was up to. She ran it across her arm, droplets of blood oozing out of the shallow wound. I grabbed both her arms, making her drop the blade at the same time. The wounded one twitched a bit before giving a small sizzling noise as small tendrils of smoke seeped from the healing wound. I dropped her arms quickly and backed away. I was surprised when she gave me a small smile. She gestured for me to come closer.

"I feel like I can hear voices. Not jus' any, though. It's like they're people's thoughts," Kelly told me, "You should believe me after what you just did."

I nodded. She may have a heavy accent, but she is quite perceptive when she wants to be. "I think I do… but we can't tell the others. At least not yet. If we're both affected, they could be, too. They may not have figured it out yet. If we tell too soon, they won't believe us."

"I migh' probably go fockin' crazy jus' listenin' to people's mind," Kelly muttered.

"We'll wait and see tomorrow, Kelly," I assured her. "You alright, though?"

"Yeah… why is a girl like you in Communi'y Payback, anyway?" Kelly wondered. "You seem too nice."

"Girls like me have suppressed anger," I told her.

We walked out the room just as the boys started to talk about the probation worker. "Can we just leave? Where's the probation worker?" Curtis asked.

"I think there's something wrong with him," Simon said, still holding his phone. "Like he was having a spasm."

"Or he was probably fakin' it to get some compensation," Nathan said. He twitched his head, "W-w-wanker!"

I shook my head, standing next to the Irish idiot. "I'm pretty sure that's not faking, Nate. Oh!" I turned to him. "Can I crash at your place for tonight? My landlord kicked me out and Tracy doesn't want to be too involved anymore."

"Really? Well that bitch can suck it. Besides, I'm pretty sure my mam likes you more than me," Nathan said, ruffling my hair.

"What are we waiting for?" Alisha asked in a bored tone.

"The probation worker," Curtis answered.

Alisha sneered. "I'm not waiting for anything. I'm leavin'."

* * *

We all left one by one, me following Nathan to his place. It's been awhile since I've seen his mam and hopefully her view of me hasn't changed since the news of my court order. The walk there was quite peaceful. And by peaceful, it's just Nathan babbling on with his nonsense while I space out. He knows I do that a lot, but he just carries on anyways.

When we reached his door, he fished out his keys and tried the locks. He paused and looked up at me with a confused expression. Shit, what happened? Nathan banged on the door.

"Mam, open the door," he shouted.

"I changed the locks," his mom said, her voice louder as she leaned against the wall across from the door.

"I'm with Nathan right now," I called out to her, hoping that would change her mind. "I have nowhere else to stay."

"Kori," she whispered, then said louder, "I'm so sorry. I can't let you two in. If Nathan stays, he leaves."

"What? The guy is a complete dildo," Nathan argued. I smacked him on the head. "It's true!"

"Why do you always insult people?" she cried, taking a deep breath. "Your things are packed near the garage. I even put some money in your knapsack."

"Mam, you can't do this! Mam!" Nathan yelled, banging on the glass of the door.

I grabbed his shoulders. "Enough, let's go back to the community centre."

"Kori, you could always stay. You know that, right?" His mam called out to me.

It was true, I could stay. Would that be fair, though? Nathan's my best friend, and to stay at his home while he's kicked out… he'll be too bitter with me. Despite him being a royal asshole, he is also like a brother to me. We grew up together, we fought together, we work together, and we might as well suffer together. This the price I pay, trading proper shelter for a douche. But I'm not losing another sibling again.

"It's fine. I'll keep an eye on Nathan for you," I said, grabbing a duffle bag smaller than my own. "Let's go, Nate," I told him.

He growled, giving the door one last bang before grabbing the rest of his stuff. As we walked away, I heard the faint tears from his mother. I inhaled deeply, wishing none of this had ever happened. Nathan loved his mam so much without admitting it. All this time, dragging me into his evil plans to drive her boyfriends away was to save her from getting hurt.

Nathan insisted on trying to call of his friends that he insulted, telling me that they know he was just joking around. I knew that arguing this time would be pointless. He'll know why I told him to head back to the centre.

Several tries later, he gave up. We got the rest of my things from my flat and headed to the community centre. There, we made makeshift beds and resting areas. Nathan somehow obtained the keys to most of the doors around the centre so we could get around easily. I set my 'bed' next to his, using a jacket as a pillow.

"Everything will be fine, shorty," Nathan assured me, "Just you and me against the world." Yes, us against the world.

* * *

The next day, I left early to get some cereal boxes from the nearest Tesco store and handed some to Nathan. By the time I got back, he resorted to junk from the snack machine. He accepted to box with a pout, showing me that talking to his mother hasn't gone as plan.

After devouring several handfuls of dry cereal, Nathan told me to follow him. He led me to an area near the back where we could crawl out so the others won't know we're homeless. He went first, lifting the black garbage door up and slipped through with some struggle. I shook my head and went after, slipping out easier since I was smaller. Nathan took out a cigarette and stuck it between his teeth. I reached out to grab it, but he slapped my hand away.

We joined the others, red paint on the walls as we walked passed. "I'm going to kill you," it read. I stopped and stood next to Simon.

"I think this is a hidden message," I heard Nathan said. "Like that police monkey with a Tesco bag."

"But who would want to kill us?" Curtis said.

Tony stalk towards the rest of the group. "Someone's having a laugh," Curtis told him.

"… anti-social behavior," Tony said awkwardly, the only part I could catch as I began my train of thought. Tony has been acting strange this morning. Now that I remember, he was also struck by the lightning. If Kelly can read minds and I have some type of healing powers, surely he would have something, too.

We walked together into the locker room and got our jumpsuits on after assigned to clean up the paint. Like always, Alisha was staring at herself in the mirror, wearing a bikini underneath. Nathan was walking around shirtless with the jumpsuit at his hips. I began brushing my hair when I heard Simon from the bathroom.

"Hey, isn't this Gary's cap?" He asked them. I looked around and saw no Gary in sight. No one even noticed Simon.

"Guys, there's blood on it," he said louder. Again, no one answered. What was wrong with them? I could hear him perfectly. "Uhh… ah!" He groaned before I could say anything to him. I turned, wide eyed as Simon disappeared. I looked at the mirror to get a better view of what was going on from my angle, to see only Alisha. I closed my locker door, leaving my phone inside, and joined the others in the middle as they filed out, grabbing a scrubbing brush and a bucket. Simon was right there, but his reflection was nowhere to be seen. I guess this was his power, to turn invisible. I stood in place, watching as they left.

"Simon," I whispered.

He grabbed my shoulders even though I still couldn't see him, yet a saw a faint haze that outlined his body. "Can you see me? What is happening?" His head started to twitch in a frenzy. He glanced back at the mirror and saw himself again.

"I don't know what's going on, but it's not only you," I assured him.

"Why couldn't they see me… did I… did I turn invisible?" His voice cracked. His jaw clenched, the way it does when he's thinking.

I sighed. "It seems so… Look, we have to go or else Tony'll get mad."

Simon nodded, then frowned as a thought struck him. "What happened to Gary?"

"Don't know either. You know what, I'll go tell Tony, you go on ahead."

Once he left, with reluctance, I went out to search for Tony. I searched outside near the entrance, but saw no one. So I went back to the bathroom where Simon saw Gary's cap and did my own investigation. The smell from the last stall reeked of iron. The door was torn to bits, revealing more blood inside. I conclusion, Gary was attacked! I had to find Tony soon.

"Urggh!" A shout of pure rage echoed from outside.

I stepped around the blood and raced outside, just in time to see Tony run off with a piece of the metal gate. I ran inside to find Nathan, Curtis, and Simon playing foosball.

"-well, us two with the chicks, it looks like you pull the short end of the straw," Nathan mocked, pointing at Simon. Curtis shook his head and laughed.

"But there's Kori," Simon said softly.

"What? You and Mulan? No, man, but you can try. If you've managed that, then you're not the guy I thought you were," Curtis said.

"Where's Kelly?" I shouted breathlessly, ignoring their conversation. If what I just saw was true, Tony could have been the one that attacked Gary. No one was strong enough to rip a piece of metal off with bare hands. Perhaps it's the effects of the lightning.

"Are you okay?" Simon asked, looking nervous.

"Where've you been, shorts?" Nathan said with a smirk.

"Where. Is. Kelly?" I yelled, adrenaline pumping through my veins.

"She ran off after having a strange fit. Guess she didn't want to talk about the tingling in my anus," Nathan drawled.

I scoffed in frustration, not wanting to question it, and took off to trace Tony's steps.

"What, weird kid? Ready to bet on it?" Nathan teased Simon when he saw how uncomfortable and tense he was when I ran out.

"Shut up," Simon said, looking down

It's been almost 10 minutes with no luck. They should have been here. I trekked backwards, trying to remember what path Kelly would take if she was being chased… She ran down the stairs and probably went around to find the nearest entrance.

"Kori!" Kelly shouted, sprinting with tears in her eyes, "Run!"

The fight or flight instinct kicked in once my eyes landed on Tony's – white with rage. "We need to warn the others!" Kelly said. I followed Kelly down the path towards the double doors. Kelly rammed through, falling from the force. I skidded in before turning around and locking the doors.

"Way to make an entrance, you two," Nathan said with amusement.

"He's goin' to kill us! The probation worker!" Kelly warned them.

"Have you been sniffing glue?" Alisha mocked.

"Have you been sucking cock?" I mimicked. Nathan has been a terrible influence on me over the years. His eyes widened with shock and a hint of pride at my rare display of aggression.

"Why are you in a wheelchair?" Kelly asked Nathan.

Nathan pulled a serious face. "It's 'cuz the lightning. It left a tingling in my anus and now I can't feel my legs." Kelly looked at him in disgust.

I paced around, pulling at my hair. Tony turns into a raging beast, Kelly can hear thoughts, Simon can turn invisible… In this situation, shit will hit the fan if no one listens. I was supposed to finish my community service then leave for the city, maybe go out of the country with Nate. Having super powers was not part of the plan. What would my parents say in a situation like this? Take a deep breath and let it all out?

"I can turn invisible," Simon spoke up.

"So… what? You can read minds and he can turn invisible? What about you, Mulan?" Curtis said in disbelief. I ignored him and the new nickname they've come up with.

"And has anyone witnessed this disappearance?" Nathan pushed, turning his wheelchair towards the quiet boy.

"Kori did, sort of," Simon replied, "but no one else noticed."

"Aw, that's really touching that you actually shared a moment with a girl. Is your cherry going to pop soon, then?" Nathan wheeled over to him. "Trying doing it now," he humored him.

I couldn't help but think of how genuine Simon's soul is by the effort that he used to try to turn invisible again. His eyes were shut tight and his strain was visible. Opening his eyes, he asked Nathan if he could see him, and, of course, Nathan said no but tossed a can at his face.

"Stop it, Nate!" I growled, pushing his wheelchair away, "this is serious!"

"This is getting ridiculous," Curtis said, walked towards the door.

"No, don't!" Kelly protested.

It was too late. Once Curtis opened the door, Kelly pushed him aside and got hit right in the head with the piece of metal. Her head crashed to the wall from the force, and she collapsed. I ran to her, hoping the injury could be healed. Then everything slowed with only Curtis' heavy breathing and wild eyes moving quickly. I felt myself moving backwards along with everything else until it froze and replayed again.

"Can you see me?" Simon asked meekly, waving a hand in front of Nathan.

"No, I can't. You're invisible," Nathan said, tossing a can at his face.

"She's telling the truth," Curtis said firmly. We all turned to him. "Both of them. This all happened before. I opened the door and she died," he continued, gesturing towards Kelly. I stared at him. He turned back time, I saw it. Why can't they?

"This is complete bull," Nathan said, standing up from his chair.

"No!" Kelly and I shouted.

"I'm telling you, don't open that door," Curtis pleaded.

Nathan opened the door, then quickly locked it. "He's right. The probation worker has gone mental!" He screamed when Tony banged the door.

"You idiot!" I shouted, hitting his head.

The group stood side by side, jumping at every bang. "Could be crystal meth, right? That stuff can make you crazy…" Alisha reasoned, talking about her friend who nearly shagged her own brother. Kelly and I looked at her with a "What the fuck" face.

"'I'm going to kill you', he wrote that," Simon said, figuring it out. I grabbed his sleeve.

"Bit too late to figure that out, love," I said, thinking of a way out.

"What I tell you? There's a hidden meaning… or not," Nathan said.

"Has anything happened to you?" Kelly asked Alisha.

"No!" Alisha looked at the others. "We should call the police."

"He took our phones," Simon reminded them.

The banging stopped. Alisha turned to Kelly and I accusingly. "Why did you two come back, dickheads?"

"What do you know, bitch?" Kelly snapped.

"Shut up, you chav," Alisha retorted.

I pulled Kelly back. "Call her a chav one more time and I'll kick you so hard in your cunt that your cherry splits and your ovaries are damaged! Now all of you, shut the fuck up. We came back to warn you and we could have left you." Kelly nodded.

"Damn, shorty," Nathan praised.

"Every single one of you, I'm tired of you judging me, now fuck off!" Kelly added.

"Whatevers, I'm getting out of here," Alisha dismissed.

We followed her towards the backdoor. Nathan slipped next to me. "Oh god!" I shouted at the sight of blood. I exchanged a look with Kelly as she read my thoughts on what I've discovered in the bathroom.

"Oh god, get it off me!" Nathan squirmed, rubbing his hands clean on his jumpsuit.

Curtis walked forward, collecting his wits, then yanked the bloody locker opened. Alisha screamed and they all jumped back. I gripped Simon's sleeve once again, knowing that it was actually Gary.

"He's going to kill us," Alisha whimpered.

"That's what we've been trying to tell you guys," I mumbled.

"Everything's going to be alright," Curtis assured Alisha, "We'll just go to the police-". He touched her arm and gasped. "You're so beautiful, I want to bone you!" He let go, his senses turning normal until Alisha tried to slap him. With his athletic reflexes, he grabbed her arm again. "I want to shag you, right now!" Again, Alisha released his grip. "What did I do?"

It seemed that every time Curtis touched her arm, he gained an uncontrollable lust for her. My train of thought broke when I heard that Simon figured it out as well. Alisha stared at her hands, then looked at Simon. She touched his neck and he gasped.

"I'm so hard for you. I want to rip your clothes off and piss on your tits!" Simon growled in lust.

This somehow made me upset. It was not because of what he said, just the fact that she was using him as a test subject. I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away from Alisha. Simon slowly got his senses back as soon as Alisha's hand slipped off, gasping.

"You sick bastard," Nathan laughed.

Alisha tested again, grabbing my wrist. I gasped. Instead of directing the sudden burst of sexual attraction towards Alisha, I turned and grabbed Simon by the hair and yanked him down while my other arm was still attached to her. "Mine!" I unconsciously growled, smothering his lips with my own. He tensed, but moved with me. I gasped away as Alisha removed her hand from me. I looked at the others, then back at Simon. His eyes were wide and his pupils were blown out.

"Does it only work on men?" Alisha wondered, reaching for Kelly.

"Erm, don't fockin' touch me," Kelly snapped, then went on, "She has a power, too. She can heal people, and she can see Simon and Curtis' power. Maybe she reacts differently than us."

"Or maybe she wanted to kiss weird kid," Nathan said with a smirk.

The moment was forgotten as Tony crashed through the glass doors, reaching for us. We scrambled out of his reach. Kelly grabbed the nearest object she could find and swung at him. He collapsed with a loud thud. His head had a severe gash, but there was a slight twitch that could be barely seen.

"Is he dead?" Alisha asked.

Nathan leaned forward, hands on his knees. "Um, I'm no doctor, but see the way his head's caved in? What do you think, Dr. Kori-anne Lin?"

As I backed away, I slipped on Gary's blood, making it easy for Tony to grab me as his hand shot out. His grip tightened around my ankle, like he was about to snap it off. Before he could pull me, Kelly ran up and repeatedly smashed his head.

"I. Am. Not. A. Chav!" she said with each smash.

"That would do it," Nathan squeaked, pulled at his curls with dispair.

* * *

We had just killed our probation officer. No one would believe our story at all and think that we killed Tony and Gary. Simon suggested that if there's no body, there's no crime. I nodded in agreement. Nathan added that by using the wheelchairs, it would look like a couple of young offenders taking the specials out on a walk in the sunshine. So, it was decided that we buried the bodies under the bridge, near the river, where no one would look. We made a pact that not a single word would be spoken to anyone about the bodies or what the storm did to us.

"Hold on a minute, how come all of you have some special power? How come all of you can do something except me?" Nathan protested, pointing at Simon, "He can do something. HE can do something! That's ridiculous, I mean look at him."

Simon wiped some sweat from his forehead with a dirty hand.

"He's cute, so what?" I countered. They all looked at me with raised eyebrows, but I just shrugged. Apparently, during these recent events, shame and embarrassment doesn't affect me that much.

"Maybe you can do something," Simon said, a bit flustered, "you just don't know what it is yet."

"Aw, that's sweet now that you know my Asian sister wants to get in your pants as much as you want to get in hers, you're being so nice to me," Nathan mocked. I glared at him, but he continued, "Maybe my power is feeling no pain!"

Kelly read my mind, no pun intended, and smacked the back of his head. "Did you feel that?" We exchanged a smirk and continued to shovel dirt into the pit.

* * *

The next day, Tony's colleague came in and asked the group if we know anything about Tony's and Gary's disappearance. Nathan volunteered, starting legit until he reached the part about them being butt naked in the toilets, having a homosexual affair. The woman was speechless, walking away. I face palmed.

On the roof, all six of us stared out to the city, standing near the edge. Kelly suggested the idea of others being affected by the storm as well. Nathan brushed it off as a phenomenon that only happens in America.

"Maybe we were meant to be superheroes," Simon said.

"Then what kind of fucked up world would let that happen?"

Indeed. All I knew was that the best and worst has yet to come.

* * *

**An: Well, that's episode one for ya! I personally like Kelly as a person. I would want a friend like that.**


	2. The Last Days

**An: I'll admit that throughout the story, I changed some events... mostly because I was too lazy to go back to the ep to check.**

* * *

"Maybe I'm like spider-man and I can climb and do spidery shit," Nathan went on as the group headed down to clean up trash.

"That makes no since that you'd be like spider-man," Curtis told him.

"This whole power thing doesn't even have logic to it. How is it that you can turn back time? How is it that-," Nathan poked Simon on the head with the litter picker, "This guy can turn invisible?"

"Nate, I'm having you sleep on the concrete floor again," I threatened if he continued. Simon glanced at me, then looked away.

"We still don't exactly know your powers, shorty," Nathan reminded, walking backwards to face me. "Or maybe it's because you've turned into a ninja or something like in that anime you liked watching with that blond kid with spiky hair and an orange jumpsuit… hey, like us! Maybe you're him!"

"But Mulan sort of seen us using some of our powers. Kelly said she could heal, too. Maybe it's kind of like an immunity thing," Curtis commented.

"It could be. I remember when the lightning broke my glasses, my vision was fine without it. There was this burning feeling running through my veins," I said, trying to make sense of my own powers.

"Are you sure that wasn't an orgasm," Nathan teased. I smacked him.

"Wait a minute, if you can heal, why couldn't you at least heal Gary?" Alisha stepped in, looking at me accusingly.

"I was the one that helped carry Gary out, remember? I don't know how my powers work, but I think the gory gashes would have closed up by the time we reached the bridge. Maybe it's just healing, not bringing people back to life."

"Then you're useless," Alisha mocked, "because everything would have gone back to normal if they were alive."

Before I could retaliate, Simon grabbed my arm and led me downstairs. Once down, he yanked his hand away from me, stabbing pieces of trash on the ground. I narrowed my eyes at his odd behavior.

"Something wrong, Simon?" I asked cautiously.

"Nothing!" He snapped.

"I thought we were friends. We can talk to each other, right?" I said, picking at a broken plastic bottle.

"No, I don't want to be your friend," Nathan said coldly, walking swiftly away just as the others caught up to him.

They noticed nothing. For the last few minutes, we worked around the area until we reached the gate. Curtis picked at something strange, his inspection led his eyes to the naked body on the ground.

"Oi, what's that over there?" He pointed.

"Is that a naked man?" Alisha laughed. She walked forward and poked him with the stick. "Oi," she told him, "you know you're naked right?"

The man turned to lay on his back. The group cringed at the naked sight. I quickly looked at the ceiling, never seeing one so up close excluding the triple x movies that I found on Nathan's old computer. Simon took a picture of the view before the man got up and ran.

"Oi, shorty, didn't you see his face?" Nathan exclaimed, running towards the gate where the man escaped.

"Um… I didn't see anything at all," I said, finally look straight ahead.

"I don't care about your virgin eyes. That guy is my mam's – he lives with my mam," Nathan said furiously.

"Well, your step-dad has a monster cock," Alisha said with a smirk.

"He's not my step-dad!" Nathan shouted.

"What was he doing here naked?" I wondered.

"Maybe he's a pervert," Alisha said.

"Or a rapist. Got loads around 'ere," Kelly added.

"Or he's a werewolf," Simon said. Everyone looked at him except me. "Usually in the movies, the werewolf turns up naked somewhere after killing something, like the zoo."

"Twat!" Nathan said, pointing the stick at Simon. "He's not a werewolf. This guy is such a pussy, he has to get my mam to open jars for him. I'm pretty sure a werewolf could open a jar of peanut butter for himself."

"He's a bit like a dog, though," I commented, "his behavior is quite odd."

"That's why you have to help me. Remember all those years you stood beside me? We were like Bonnie and Clyde, Romeo and Juliet. We would wreck my mother's boyfriends and drive them out of the house. All that time you stayed over my house since your parents died, so you know my struggle here, right?" Nathan pleaded.

I held out a finger. "That made no sense. First of all, those couples were in a destructive romantic relationship where they ended up dying together. Second of all, I don't remember helping you to drive them out willingly."

"But you drove me around, right?" Nathan asked, confused.

"I'm two years younger than you. How was I old enough to drive at that time? You were driving every time you stole their car and I escaped before you drove me to my death."

"Oh," Nathan said, suddenly remembering those memories.

* * *

After dumping our trash and changing into fresh clothes, we were to meet up at the hall where they held an even for the senior citizens. The community expected us to help the elderly and dance with them. The temporary probation officer insisted that at least the girls wear something nice. Alisha wore a short dress while Kelly got something more comfortable. After Nathan dug through our clothes, he found a blue blouse and a short chiffon skirt. He had tricked me when I went for a shower after trash duty, stealing my clothes and leaving the nice ones behind. Now, I stood between the two tallest guys in the group, Nathan and Curtis, with my arms crossed in distaste.

"Move!" The woman pleaded.

We moved reluctantly towards the crowd. The dance reminded me about the night when Nathan and I parked outside the bowling alley. A club was several feet away with only a faint vibration from the booming music could be felt on the ground. Nathan was trying to make me feel better by taking me bowling like we used to after school. He had a habit of licking the ball before swinging it straight into the gutter. It was nice, though, having my Irish brother trying hard to make me laugh. He would grab my hand and twirl me happily when he would miraculously hit one pin. After my turn, I spotted one of the doctors that "treated" Kylie. And by treated, I mean, examining her and thought of no solution. He was with a girlfriend or wife, four aisles away, doing a small dance after getting cold turkey. Then the doctor got a call, an urgent one, I noted. He left his partner and jogged out into the parking garage. I told Nathan that I was going to be out for a bit. He nodded, heading towards the snack area. As he passed, I slipped my hand into his pocket and stole his car keys. Following the doctor into the garage and out into the streets in Nathan's car, anger began to return. The drive led us to his pharmacy, which was growing quite popular these days. A single father waited outside with his sickly child, explaining that he couldn't afford to go to the hospital. The doctor led him inside with a smile. I waited until the doctor left to make my move. After he locked up the place and drove off, a grabbed a brick and smashed the locks. This all lead to here. Stuck in a community centre to do 200 hours service with a bunch of misfits.

I busied myself by passing out tea and refilling cups. Simon and Curtis was dancing with the elderly while Nathan tried to chat up a blond volunteer. Alisha avoided any skin touching with everyone. Sally urged her to, anyways, introducing her to one of the elderly men who wanted a dance. It was a mistake as the man grabbed Alisha's bare arm and fell into her lustful power. She went off in frustration. For once, I pitied Alisha. She couldn't touch anyone without them lusting after her. It was a wonder why it didn't have the same effect on me.

Once my tray of tea was empty, someone tapped my shoulder. I looked up and saw Simon shifting at the spot, his jaw clenching. Don't know why I always notice that facial motion so much. "Do you want to dance?" he asked.

I set down the tray on a table and turned back to him. "Why? I thought we weren't friends anymore," I told him. It was supposed to be mocking playfully, but my tone was too harsh. He opened his mouth and quickly shut it. He didn't talk to me for the whole night.

* * *

Sometimes, I get a sense that Nathan sneaks out to visit his house. It wasn't to demand to be let in, but to check on his mother. With the discovery of her boyfriend sleeping naked outside, it made him more protective of her. This night, however, he stayed in. As I came out of the bathroom, he told me he heard a noise inside and was going to check it out. I waited a while, hearing voices. First was Nathan, then the second one I remembered as Ruth, the pretty blonde from the dance. I shook my head and walked away.

We had to clean up the hall the morning after the dance. Alisha and Curtis were undressing each other with their eyes and Kelly and Nathan were arguing about a gun. Simon stood back and recorded everything.

"I can still count on you, can't I, shorty? My sister from another mister," Nathan said, walking up to me and ruffled my hair.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"He wants'ta get rid of the naked guy from yesterday," Kelly answered.

"Just look." Nathan insisted, shoving a phone in my face.

"What am I looking at?"

"Anus, ball sac, cock," Nathan pointed out.

I blinked rapidly. "Um… this is stranger than the time you showed me those gay magazines you found in your classmate's locker."

"How? Can't you see it?"

"Well, it's from a low angle… how'd you manage to do that?" I raised an eyebrow.

"He attacked me! Look, is no one going to go with me? All this bonding over a tragic incident bullshit is nothing?" Nathan demanded.

"I'll go. If you want someone to go with you…," Simon said. I cringed at his serious face, knowing that Nathan would only shoot him down.

"I'm not being funny, but me and you buddying up? Kicking ass? I'm just not feeling it but here," Nathan touched his heart, "lovely thoughts, future brother-in-law, cheers." He winked and patted his shoulder.

"Nate," I started, eyeing him. I noted how Simon's jaw clenched again.

"What?" Nathan asked, like a child that didn't know what he did wrong.

* * *

A while later, I followed the girls into the locker room to get changed. I always hid behind the other lockers, still not confident in my body. Kelly and Alisha stripped casually, chatting about Kelly's ex-fiance. I saw a shadow pass me, seeing the outline Simon walking towards them. I guessed that he was invisible now, seeing how he approached them in close proximity, as they were half-naked. My throat constricting as I watched Simon get closer to Alisha until they got fully dressed and walked out. I felt so confused after watching Simon display something like that towards Alisha more than once. A noise came out of my mouth unexpectedly. I covered my mouth as Simon turned the corner and saw me half naked.

"Were you there the whole time?" He asked nervously, his eyes traveling down. I nodded. "You won't tell anyone, right?" His body turned visible again.

"I might," I replied tightly, feeling a bit upset. I crossed my arms. "Why were you invisible?" His jaw clenched. My hand shot out to touch it. "Was it Nate? Because he shot you down? Don't take it too personally, he does it to everyone."

He removed my hand. "But he loves you, doesn't he?" He bit out.

My eyes widened as he showed an aggressive side to me again. "Of course he does, I'm practically his sister," I replied.

"But you sleep with each other? You told him that you'll let him sleep on the floor," he continued on with his implications, grabbing my arm.

"We grew up together, so it's normal for us to sleep next to each other. You're not even my boyfriend, so whether or not we have sex is none of your business," I told him bluntly, "And unlike Alisha, who I know you like, I'm a virgin."

"How do you know I like her?" Simon said shakily.

"You watched her undress," I said, "You stood close to her as she was half-naked. The sad thing is that you shouldn't be going after those types of girls when none of them would even give a damn if you were gone. So unless you figure out the people who does, don't even talk to me anymore." It was childish, but I would like to get dressed in peace. He left, and I was alone.

* * *

I crossed my arms, watching as Nathan climbed through the window of his own house. I told him that I'd wait outside and keep watch for him. It hasn't been 20 minutes when his mother drove up to the house. I hid behind the bins and texted Nathan quickly. I could hear him yelling from inside and if his mother walks in… that's just a bit not good. Nathan's mom walked in, sounded more than just upset. He tried to convince her that he was telling the truth, but she wouldn't have it. Nathan stormed out, a red mark on his face.

"Nathan," I breathed out. I ran up to him, grabbing his shoulder. He jerked away.

"Yeah, it's great and all that you'd stand up for the chav and weird kid, but when your best friend needs help, you just stand and hide!" Nathan snapped.

"I told you that your mother was coming!" I shouted back.

"And did good, didn't it?" Nathan raised his arms in frustration. "You know what, go back to your little virgin boy and get shagged 'cause I don't think that this is working out. No more Bonnie and Clyde."

I grounded my teeth. "That's because you never listen to anyone! How many times I've warned you about so many things? I don't want you to get hurt, Nate."

Nathan made a sarcastic face. "Thanks a lot, prude." Again, he never listens to her.

* * *

Another senior event was held at the centre, only this time, the group was more opened and danced with the elders. Kelly did the robot with one in a wheelchair while Simon did some weird arm movements with an old woman. Nathan sulked at an empty table, growing more and more upset as the song, "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt, played. Curtis and Alisha had their own dance partners, but kept exchanging looks.

I watched as an old woman with a walker approached Nathan with a smile. A flash of confusion and hurt flashed across his face until he upped and left, leaving her standing there. I walked up to the old woman and pulled a chair out for her. I sat down next to her and offered her tea.

"Ruth?" I asked, stirring the tea before handing it to the woman.

Her crinkly eyes widened. "How did you know?"

"Just don't take it the wrong way, okay? Nate and I has had a difficult upraising that leads us to have this type of trust issue. Once we trust someone, we let our walls down no matter how much we hate it. If that person we trust lies… we don't take it well. There's no point in holding these bittersweet feelings," I said.

Ruth smiled. "Your boyfriend must be lucky," she said.

I shook my head and laughed. "Um, no. My last ex-boyfriend cheated on me with my best mate years ago. I asked Nathan never to mention it. So… I'm staying away from those types now."

"Ah, but Nathan has also told me about you and another boy in your community service group. 'Weird kid', he called him. What about him?" Ruth suggested.

I shook my head again. "I think he likes someone else. The person who is the female version of what my ex was."

"Maybe you should try a little sex appeal to spice things up," Ruth said with a shrug. "I would know, I've had years of experience." I had to laugh at that. "I'm serious though," she went on, "That kind of shy boy has to be approached. Show him what you feel."

"And what do I feel?" I humored her.

"You keep looking at him since the start, so I'd say you've moved on and fallen again," Ruth explained her deduction.

"I am not in love with Simon Bellamy!" I forced out a laugh. Too loudly, it seems. Loud enough to be heard over the music and causing eyes to land on me, including Simon. I cleared my throat, excusing myself, and left a smirking Ruth to find Nathan.

* * *

He was smoking under the bridge, sitting on the sand. He turned his head when he saw my approaching figure. I sat next to him and laid my head on his arm, like we used to when we were little. He didn't shrug me off and had let me be.

"If it makes you feel any better, I've embarrassed myself in front of everyone earlier today," I said.

"Did you shag a man that was secretly 80 years old?" Nathan asked bitterly.

"No, don't hold it against her. Wouldn't you want to be with someone in your last days?"

"You sound like Ruth. She said that I should leave my mam happy instead of having her grow old and miserable alone… why do we have to grow old, Annie?" Nathan whispered, using my childhood nickname. "All our bits shriveled up and our skin sagging." He shuddered. "My goal is to get you laid by the end of our 200 hours, yeah? No man's going to want a short shriveled cranky woman." I punched him as he shuddered again.

"Oi, where've you to been?" Kelly called, already changed into her jumpsuit, carrying a trash bag and litter picker.

"Sitting here in the sand, drownin in our cursed fate," Nathan replied, blowing a smoke again.

"An old woman's been lookin fa ya," she said.

I raised an eyebrow and stared at Nathan, betting that he's thinking about the fact that he slept with an 80 year old woman. Kelly confirmed this by saying it out loud. Alisha and Curtis were having a laugh at it.

"Did you enjoy it?" Simon asked. I whipped my head towards him, sensing that he took it as an opportunity to get back at him. "I think he enjoyed it."

Nathan suddenly stood up, causing me to fall back on the sand. "It's not like that. It was the storm. It affected her, too. She can turn young. Remember Ruth? That was her! Kori believes me!" Nathan pointed at me.

Alisha scoffed. "I'm starting to think she believes everything."

"Why am I always dragged down with someone?" I muttered.

The others continued their taunts and teasing, making Nathan pissed. I watched as Kelly went after a sulking Nathan down the bridge. I turned the opposite way, pushing passed Simon, towards the centre. Once there, I changed my clothes and texted Nathan to go see Ruth. He had, only to find that she was dead, but she left a scrapbook behind. Shortly after, he stopped by his mom's and apologized, convincing her that he was fine. Of course, he left after giving her boyfriend a death threat if he ever hurt her.

The next day, Nathan found a 'missing' paper in his locker. "You know that note you found in the locker? I think it was talking about the probation worker," he told Curtis.


	3. The Rising Action

**An: Kori's relationship with Simon is really weird and unsteady. It's also due to Simon's lack of any type of intimate relationship and Kori's vulnerability of people leaving. Also, I kind of wanted to expand Kori's powers and there are so many ways to go about it. Her powers could have been brainwashing people into making them stay with her or whatever, but it's not really useful in where the show was going. I've figured, since she wanted to study medicine and was surrounded by death growing up, her powers would be healing and stuff.  
**

* * *

The next day, Nathan found a 'missing' paper in his locker. "You know that note you found in the locker? I think it was talking about the probation worker," he told Curtis.

"What note?" I asked, walking up to Nathan.

" 'I know what you did'. That's wha' it said," Kelly told me.

"We need to be ready," Simon spoke up, "Since there's others out there that were affected by the storm."

"But why would they come to us?" Curtis challenged.

"People do that," Simon said, "I can turn invisible and watch whoever's leaving these notes in our lockers."

We all turned to him. "Okay then…," Nathan said, waiting.

Simon shifted in his spot. "I can't do it with everyone looking."

I filtered everyone out again, faintly hearing Nathan teasing him about having a tiny cock. Clearly, they weren't impressed. When I looked up from my locker, they left without me, leaving me alone with Simon. I heard a choking noise from Simon.

"Hey you lot, did you see that?" Simon called out. The door slammed close. "Guys?"

I tried to look around and saw no one. I sighed, going through my locker again. If someone is going through our things, I'm going to have to sort my personal items away from this locker. I grabbed a knapsack I stole from Nathan and stuffed my wallet, phone, and some books inside, then shoved it in the locker next to mines. I decided to leave my clothes and hygiene products inside. Closing my locker, a wave a nausea hit me, the room spinning.

"Okay." I leaned against the locker to gain balance. After a long pause, I spoke again. "Simon?" He hummed in acknowledgment. "Are we still friends?"

He said nothing. There was only silence between them until I heard a thumping noise that only grew louder by the minute. The vibration visibly echoed throughout the room with each thump. I turned to my side, seeing Simon's outline in front of me where a chair sat. The outlines became more detailed and deeper, outlining every bone in his body. His heart is what stood out the most. With every heartbeat, it sends a vibration that only I could see. I could now see every detail straight down to the contents of their lockers. I blinked again, and everything was back to normal. What a strange sight, like an x-ray or an ultrasound.

The crumpling of plastic caught my attention. The outline of Simon paused, his hand half way out of his pocket where he took out a piece of chocolate. "Um, it's just chocolate," He told me.

"Can I have?" I asked softly. Simon looked at the chocolate in his hand, then looked back up at me. "I don't feel like doing anything right now."

He nodded, awkwardly unraveling the piece of sweetness. He held it up to me, but paused when he realized that I may not be able to see it. "Uh, open your mouth a bit. I'll give it to you," he said.

I walked forward and did so, watching as Simon placed it in my mouth with a shaky hand. Not being able to clearly see his hand, I closed my lips before he pulled his fingers away. His eyes widened, slowly moving his hand away from me. He pulled out another one and popped it in his mouth.

"Can you see me?" He whispered.

"Only your outline," I said, sitting next to him. I chewed on the piece of sweet while thinking of what to say. "I'm sorry… about what I said earlier. It was childish and I just was… um, reminded of how guys usually prefer the sexy girls more than me."

Simon cleared his throat. I could just imagine his jaw moving again as he sorted the words in his head. "I… I think you're pretty," he said.

"You don't have to lie," I told him, brushing my curly hair away from my face. "But thank you."

* * *

Time passed by and no one has entered the locker room yet. Suddenly the door opened, laughter flooding in the quiet room. Simon stood up to check who it was. Alisha and Curtis started to snog each other as they made their way to the bathroom. A while later, grunts and moans started to spill out, the only ones who could hear it was Simon and I. Simon shifted uncomfortably in place. He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it quickly. He sat down again, shifting closer to me.

"Um, could you do something for me?" Simon stuttered.

I tilted my head. "Like what?"

"Just promise you won't hit me… stay still," he said.

He leaned closer, his breath hitting my lips and his scent filled my nostrils. Our lips brushed lightly, leaving a tingling touch behind. Simon pressed firmly against mines, grabbing my shoulder. I responded quickly, leaning towards him for more. Each time, the kiss grew deeper, causing our breath to grow heavier. It was strange that I can feel everything but see nothing. I got up from my seat and straddled Simon, who wrapped an arm around my waist, the other tangled in my hair. Suddenly, I gasped for air before diving in again.

Curtis and Alisha left a while after just as the quiet couple took a break from our snog session. Nathan sent a couple of texts to me, which I had lazily replied to. Once sent, I leaned against Simon and wrapped an arm around his.

"So that's what you meant when you didn't want to be my friend," I said.

"Yeah… if you want to stay friends instead…," Simon trailed off when my breathing changed. I had already dozed off.

I woke up later to get changed, waking up Simon on my way to the bathroom. Brushing my hair by the mirror, I noticed that Simon was still invisible, seeing no reflection of him as he awkwardly wrapped an arm around me. Usually, he would be visible by now, unless he was still feeling ignored which is the cause of his invisibility. It's also possible, like my immunity theory, I have a different reaction with certain powers than other people.

The group started to file in the room except for Alisha who was nowhere to be seen. They were talking about Kelly throwing a chair at a girl she was supposed to reconcile with. I finished brushing my hair and walked back to my locker that was near Curtis'. Simon started to get cheeky, following me around and playing with my hair. Unzipping my jumpsuit, Simon yanked it down, exposing my tank top and shorts.

"Simon!" I automatically scolded, forgetting that the others can't see him for a moment.

Curtis looked at me with a frown. I saw Simon twitch again and he became visible. Curtis jumped back and swore under his breath. "Don't be doing that shit around me," he narrowed his eyes, "You been here all day?" He said, surprised.

"Yep," Simon said, somewhat smugly. He turned to Curtis and gave him a knowing look.

"What 'appened?" Kelly asked, referring to the notes in their locker.

"Nothing… No one came in," Simon replied, staring at Curtis.

Nathan gasped. "That's an anticlimax," Nathan said, ignoring the fact that Simon can actually turn invisible and that Curtis was witness to it. "And where have you been, shorty?"

"I've been here the whole time," I said, pulling on a jacket and sweatpants.

"With the weird kid? Good luck with that. Hope you two cherries pop," Nathan dismissively, sauntering out.

Kelly looked between the couple, then followed Nathan out. Curtis retreated slowly, still staring at Simon in disbelief. The second the door closed, I smacked Simon on the arm. He flinched, but a small smile was on his face. A thought struck him and that smile had completely wiped off.

"What is it?" I asked, noticing this.

"I… I've been messaging someone, a girl, online. I think she's interested in me… it's not you, is it?" Simon said hesitantly.

I shook my head. "No. Look, Simon, be careful of what you say to anyone, even though she may seem interested in you… just be careful. We still don't know who's leaving those notes in our locker and someone could try to get close to us for information. Tell me what she says."

"Are you interested in me?" He asked, looking at me with those blue-green eyes. "If you're not, then whatever we did… we can't do that anymore. You said I should find whoever cares about me. She seems to be lonely, like me. You…, you have Nathan and you're friends with Kelly. I have no one."

"So you're trusting an internet girl that you know nothing about then me?" I asked incredulously as the gears in his brain started to move along with the muscles in his jaw. I shook my head. "Fine, I'll forget that even happened."

* * *

That night, Simon logged onto his account, seeing Shygirl18 online. "They treat me like nobody," he typed.

"They don't know you like I do," she replied.

Simon hesitated before typing, "Have you got a boyfriend?"

"I had one. Not anymore," The mystery girl said. Then she logged off.

"Maybe she's lonely," Simon reasoned.

"Or maybe she knows something," I retorted, closing his laptop.

Simon turned to me with a smile. The only light in the room was from a small lamp that showed my frowning face in the shadows. I could see his blue eyes searching my brown ones, shining with realization. He had suggested that I should come over to see who Shygirl18 was. I told Simon bluntly that no girl is going to like him instantly just by watching one of his videos and having short conversations in the chat box.

"Or maybe you're just jealous," he said, a bit too happily. He wasn't used to the idea of having someone jealous over him.

Simon told me that, at first, he was somewhat interested in Alisha, since the girl was walking sex. But she flirts with everyone, doubting how faithful she could be. When he first saw me, he wondered why I had to do community service. It had also shocked him to know how close I was to a dickhead like Nathan.

* * *

The next day, I woke up early in Simon's bed. I checked the time before waking him up. Nothing really happened that night. We agreed not to go any further until we felt ready. I walked back into his room after making breakfast, pausing at the door. Simon stood shirtless in front of the mirror holding two shirts up. I observed how the muscles on his back moved underneath his skin.

I cleared my throat. "I like the dark blue one. Brings out your eyes," I said.

Simon turned around, shielding himself with the shirt. "How long were you there?"

"Long enough. Besides, you saw me half-naked. If you take off your jeans, then we'd be even. Breakfast is ready."

Since Nathan flooded my phone with bored text messages, I decided to head to the centre first. Simon looked up from his plate when I said this, his mouth stuffed with eggs and bacon. I took a deep breath and kissed him on the cheek before going out the door. Even with my boyfriend before, displays of affection like that were rare and I was too scared to make the first move. I kept Ruth's advice in mind now that I've come to terms with what I feel.

The mornings have been slow with the usual trash clean up routines. Every time we passed by the probation worker, Sally, she would stare at us like we had a secret. We did, but I was afraid that she had her suspicions. Her reaction to Tony's death is not like a normal colleague. They must have been close, or even in a relationship. If that were true, she must be going mental to find him. I have suspicions of my own. The probation workers and cleaning staff all have keys to everything, even lockers. Janitors have no business in the occupied lockers, so the chances of them to even step into the locker room is less likely. My weeks of living in the centre have trained my mind to remember their cleaning routes and patterns around each area. Sally hasn't caught us sleeping near the back since she never goes there and hardly anyone does. Sooner or later, she'll start taking matters into her own hands about Tony's disappearance.

I chilled back on the springy worn mattress on the roof, watching as Nathan frowned and made weird noises like he was constipated, staring at a beer bottle. I exchanged a look with Curtis who shook his head. Nathan was still trying to figure out his powers, so he thought that maybe he had telekinesis.

Simon burst through the doors, trying to catch his breath. He paused as Nathan groaned again, digging his fingers into his temple. "What is he doing?" he asked.

"He wants to see if he can smash the bottle," Curtis explained. "I think he's going to shit himself."

"Screw this! I know I've got a power. I can feel it in my balls," Nathan said passionately, whacking the bottle away. "What do you want?"

"They're going to dig up the bodies," Simon said. I sat up quickly.

We met up with Kelly and Alisha downstairs in the event hall. Dressed in our jumpsuits, we sat and listened to Simon's report. On his way to the centre, he passed the bridge where he saw the construction workers digging up around the area that we buried Tony and Gary. If we leave the bodies, they would be found and we would be sacked.

* * *

The whole day, I've noticed that Alisha has been avoiding one of the volunteer workers, Ben. Curtis has also distanced himself from her and Kelly has been in a sour mood. I found it odd that she had her blond hair down and wearing a cap. She'd never done any of those things before. As I tried to get closer to Simon, he would push me away. It would be a lie if I said it didn't hurt. I thought maybe it's because he wasn't in much relationships that it was all new to him. A part of me couldn't help but think that Shygirl18 had something to do with it. He stayed online, saying he was going to edit some videos. I left before I could even see if he was telling the truth or not. I shouldn't be acting like this over an internet girl, but she knows something… it's possible that she knows us. It's possible that it had something to do with Sally.

Simon had later proposed to dig up the bodies and rebury them so they couldn't be found. It sounded like s crazy plan that could actually work. First, we needed a car. Alisha provided that, saying that her license was taken away ages ago. It was a very tight fit inside and Nathan had called shotgun before Curtis could grab the passenger door. I offered to stay behind, but Kelly grabbed and threw me inside and forced me onto Simon's lap. I shifted to get comfortable, slowly feeling something poking me from behind. I froze, feeling Simon's chest and his heartbeat against my back throughout the drive.

"Where are we supposed to put the bodies?" Curtis asked.

"Don't worry, shorty and I have the keys to all the supply closets," Nathan replied instantly. He paused and looked at me in the rear view mirror.

"Um, why do you two have keys?" Kelly asked, probably has known for a while all because of Nathan's loud thoughts.

"We're living in the community centre, alright?" Nathan confessed. Alisha and Curtis looked at us.

"Both of you? Why?"

"My landlord said he won't kick me out if I bend over for him and Nathan got kicked out from his mam's because he was being himself," I quickly explained. Simon wrapped an arm around me and squeezed. No further questions were asked.

The girls stood back and pointed their torches towards the digging sight for the boys. The bodies were well deep within the dirt, but the more they dug, the closer they get to the source of the rotten smell.

"Seriously, are you alright?" Nathan paused and asked Kelly. "You're usually chatty."

"No I'm not," Kelly defended.

"Come on, you haven't hit me in the last few hours. I'm worried about you."

Nathan continued to dig, hitting something soft. He looked up at me, then removed the dirt. It was a rotting hand from one of the corpses. I scrunched my nose from the smell, heading towards the car to get the sheets. Curtis and Nathan were the last to get into the car. Alisha squeaked when the rotting hand landed on the windshield.

"Sorry!" Nathan shouted.

Back at the centre, I unlocked the storage room and opened the door for the boys to drag the bodies inside. Alisha and Kelly stood back, watching them pass.

"So, you really got kicked out 'cause you wou'n't shag your landlord?" Kelly asked me.

Blunt and straight to the point are one of the qualities that I like about her. "Yeah. I could have stayed with Nathan but I didn't want to give his mam much trouble. I think things would have been different if Kylie was older," I said.

"Who's Kylie?"

I hesitated, staring at the ground. "Nothing," Nathan said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "By the way, love the cap." He reached out and grabbed Kelly's hat along with her blond wig. Kelly ran off, covering her bold head.

Alisha burst out laughing. "She looked like an alien!" she said.

"Hey, there's no need to be rude about that… she kind of did, didn't she?" Nathan started to chuckled.

I sighed. "Go after her, you twat," I ordered.

Nathan looked down at the cap and wig. "I guess so." He jogged off after Kelly.

I soon realize how awkward I felt between Curtis and Alisha. I looked at Simon who seemed to also feel the same way. "Can't you see we're trying to have a conversation here? Go!" Alisha snapped at us.

I rolled my eyes, turning to head back to the locker room with Simon's presence close behind. Being bitter towards him, I ignored Simon throughout the rest of the day. Besides that, I sensed a little fall out between Alisha and Curtis. It must be something to do with her powers and Ben. Whatever it was, they have to get over it. Simon and I have some issues and disorders, but I don't let it affect much on the group's situation.

* * *

The next day, we need Alisha's car again. Instead, she went off with Ben just to get Curtis angry. I grimaced at another repeat. "You have to go after her, Curtis," I said, "Alisha can be in danger if he ever touches her."

"And we need her car!" Nathan added.

Curtis sighed. "We could use Sally's car instead," Simon suggested.

"Who's Sally?" Nathan asked.

"Our probation worker," Simon answered slowly.

"Oh, and I bet you know who the other probation worker was," Nathan challenged.

"Tony."

"Let's just get her keys and stuff the stiffs in the trunk, alright?" I interrupted. "Simon will get the keys. We'll get the bodies ready without Alisha."

"Sir, yes, sir," Nathan saluted. Kelly smacked the back of his head.

Nathan lounged in the driver's seat as we stuffed the bodies inside the trunk. "We could use a little help, yeah?" Kelly said sarcastically at him.

He sighed getting out of the car reluctantly. Just as he was out, he spotted Sally approaching, pushing us to hide behind the bins and pillars. We crouched and watched her shift through her bag for the car keys. There was a glimmer of hope that she wouldn't notice anything.

"Where are the keys?" I asked Nathan. I was answered as Sally opened the door and started the engine. We internally groaned. Sally paused, sniffing around the car, getting out to check the boot. I yanked my hair as I saw her open the trunk and see the bodies.

Time rewind to the moment Sally approached the car. "She's going to see the bodies. She's going to open the trunk," Curtis told us. I nodded in confirmation.

"We need a distraction," I said.

Nathan nodded with a smirk, picking up a brick. He threw it at her windshield with a smile. Sally freaked out, asking him if he was mentally ill. He replied that if he was, he would have missed. She took him to her office, leading them away from the car. After a day or two of mishap, we finally reburied the bodies and there is no trace of them.

* * *

We lounged on the roof, still thinking about the stunt we've done. By now, Alisha and Curtis made up and everything was fine. "Can't believe we got away with it," Alisha said.

"What if someone does find out?" Kelly asked.

"I've stolen Tony's credit card and used it to book a flight to Spain. They think he's still alive," Simon revealed.

The group laughed in relief, impressed by Simon's thinking. This got to him, making him suggest to go out drinking together. One by one, they shut him down. Alisha and Curtis left to wank themselves off together, Kelly wasn't feeling it, and Nathan just flat out refused.

"I am not your whore," he said, then walked away.

Simon turned to me. "You didn't even want me to touch you," I said. He took a step forward towards me, but the feelings of being pushed aside had overwhelmed me. I gasped, falling backwards. Simon's eyes widened as he stared down at me.

"Kori… you've turned invisible."

* * *

**An: Yeah, horribly unsteady relationship. It went from snogging to avoidance too quickly. In my mind, it made sense because they know how they feel, but they're scared. Kind of "moments in the woods" type.  
**


	4. The Descent

**An: I had initially disliked Alisha from the first episode, but she gradually redeemed herself as she warms up to people. With this in mind, I have a few ideas on how to make the story when I reach season 2. This chapter had skipped an ep or two because how certain ones in season one are character centric.**

* * *

Simon came out straight and told me that he's been talking to Shygirl18. He didn't know that someone could care for him like that, so he was so confused. He stood back and turned invisible along with me and offered me a hand up. For the rest of the night, we sat on the roof and talked. He liked making videos, it was obvious from the countless times I've caught him recording us on his phone. I told him how I wanted to study medicine because of my sister. Many relatives died around me and I couldn't understand why I always survived.

The next day, the gang went out to pick up trash after Curtis and Alisha had their moment. I couldn't help but notice how Sally was watching us as we left. Nathan was poking Simon's arse with the stick, saying it wasn't gay. I smacked Nathan's stick away from Simon who turned to me with a thankful look. I smiled, starting to poke him instead. Nathan laughed as I chased Simon down. Simon quickly turned the tables as he got behind me and pinned my arms.

"Nate, he's trying to seduce me!" I cried playfully, struggling with little effort.

Nathan simply passes by with a smirk on his face. He winked at me and headed off. Alisha chuckled, walking away along with Kelly as she shook her head. Curtis stayed back, talking to a girl with black hair. Ever since then, the day has been quite repetitive.

* * *

We were out lounging in the front one morning, soaking up the sun. I spied Simon recording us from hiding and looked away. Nathan crept up to him and snatched his phone away.

"Pervert!" Nathan shouted.

"Give me back my phone," Simon demanded passive-aggressively.

Nathan teased him with a mock interview, asking if his recent sexual experience was with a melon. I stood up at the same time as Kelly and ganged up on Nathan. Kelly pulled him by the collar while I snatched the phone and handed it over to Simon.

Sally called us in one by one into her office to "talk", asking miscellaneous things like "What have you learned?" and "Do you feel that you've changed?". Simon's turn has taken quite a while. I waited for him while the rest were cleaning around the centre. Nathan rode by the office window with the V mop, wagging his tail. Sally said something that made Simon smile. I narrowed my eyes. Simon got up to leave.

"Thank you. It's nice to have a normal conversation with someone," Sally said.

"You're welcome," Simon replied happily.

I walked pass him and plopped myself onto Sally's couch. I crossed my arms again and waited for her questions. Sally sighed. "So, after the community service, what do you plan on doing?"

"Um…," I shrugged, "I wanted to study medicine but… I don't know."

Sally leaned forward in her chair. "Medicine? Why'd you change your mind?"

"Because my sister died before I could find a cure. Before anyone could," I told her. "Don't tell me you're sorry."

"Okay… I hear that you're close to Nathan. You're not like him, though, are you?" Sally continued, recovering from my response.

"No, I hope not. We grew up together, you know? He's my brother."

Sally sat up straighter. "And… are you and Simon seeing each other?" I tilted my head at her question. "Sorry, that was a bit inappropriate. It's not like I'm unaware of what's going on. He seems to be talking a lot more recently. So, you and Simon?"

I shifted in my seat. The room suddenly feels claustrophobic. "It's a bit complicated. We're both not used to the whole relationship thing." I looked straight at her. "If anyone tries to use him or hurt him in anyway, I will never forgive them. Even if it doesn't work out between us, he's still my friend. I protect the only family members that I've got."

Sally looked away. "Okay, I think that's enough for now. Thank you for opening yourself up to me. I really appreciated it." I nodded condescendingly, leaving her office with a few weights off my shoulders. I glared at her through the window when she wasn't looking. She better not get to my Simon and use him. She will pay.

The past few days made me irritated. Sally has been acting close to Simon, causing him to distance himself from me again. Curtis and Alisha are working things out and becoming serious with each other. Even Nathan and Kelly had something going on. Going back to Nathan, he's been obsessed with this baby that wanders about in the community centre from the day care.

* * *

One day, we were scrapping off old posters and flyers plastered to the pillars up front when Sally passed by. Simon stopped what he was doing and followed her. I clenched my jaw, controlling my new power to turn invisible and followed behind. All he did was sit there and wait for her.

"Did you here that?" Nathan asked Simon.

"Hear what?"

"The baby," he muttered, trailing off to whatever he was hearing.

Minutes flew by and he still waited. I stepped closer to him, bending down to whisper in his ear, "Am I not enough?" They were the same words I had used on my ex when I found out that he was cheating on me. The familiar feeling of loneliness and being unwanted was slowly consuming me. I didn't know why I felt this way, but I think it had something to do with this morning. I felt ill with a slight fever. I checked my temperature and saw that it was normal. When everyone had someone to go to, it made me think that maybe I have the same sickness as my sister, but I reacted slower. Then I thought the possibility is slim because of my powers. There was this weird feeling in my gut that I don't have that long.

Simon looked around for the source of the noise but he didn't see me. Just then, Nathan skidded to a stop with a baby in his arms. He glanced at Simon then continued to run with the baby. Simon went out to tell the others. When he got back, I was already gone, searching for Nathan. We were on one of the buildings that overlooked the city. Once on top of the stairs, I held onto the railing and coughed my lungs out. Nathan wasn't aware of anything and cooed, talking to the baby with adoration. I willed myself to be visible again, approaching Nathan. The others had already caught up, surrounding him.

"When did you get here?" Kelly asked me.

"Just now," I said, clearing my throat.

"Nathan, give us the baby," Curtis ordered, holding up his hands.

"No! You won't take him away from me!" Nathan shouted.

"It's the baby. He's making him think he's is daddy," Kelly said.

"I can be his daddy!" Nathan said. "He needs one!"

"Look, he's better off without ya," Alisha said.

"One look at your records and CPS will take him away from you," Simon added.

"Him and his mum can come live with me at the Community Centre! I can get free food from the vending machines and I'll steel booze from the kitchen. I'll steal from other babies! I'll go to the park and forage for nuts and berries!" Nathan went on. As he continued to talk, he paused and stared at the baby. "Not being sexist, but can one of you girls take this off of me?"

* * *

Kelly and Nathan returned the baby to his mam. Simon was still close to Sally. One of the advantages of living in the community centre, I now know where everything is. I could even navigate my way in the dark. That's what I did. I turned myself invisible once I overheard Sally about staying a while. They had wine and talked. She kissed him, then sent him away to get more wine. I followed him to the kitchen, appearing when he turned from the fridge.

"Jesus, what are you doing here?" Simon stuttered. My skin had grown a sickly pale color and my strength was draining by the minute.

"I'm not Jesus," I said, my voice a little raspy, "but I do live here. What are you doing here… with Sally?"

He gulped. "We were just talking," he replied.

"You're getting good at lying," I noted. "Don't go back to her office. She had already stolen your phone."

"She wouldn't do that," he told me angrily.

I laughed. "She never liked you, Simon." Laughing turned into coughing too quickly. I glanced down at my hand and saw blood. Simon had already left before he could see.

With that, I turned invisible and headed towards the front entrance. Simon will find out, and by then, I would have locked all the doors. Just in time, Sally ran to my position, breathing heavily as the lights broke above us. She tried the door with desperation.

"We can't let you go," I told her.

"You don't have to do this. You and Simon can be free from this. I'll help you two to find evidence against them and you can walk free together," Sally tried to convince me.

"You seduce my Simon," I stated bluntly. "Shygirl18." Something knocked the phone out of Sally's hand. Simon appeared next to me, looking furious. Blood trickled down from his temple.

"You're really a clever one, the both of you," Sally said, "Just let me go."

"No," I said, staring down at her.

"You don't owe them anything," Sally told Simon.

"They're the only friends I've got," he said in desperation.

I reached for the phone but intercepted when Sally tackled me to the ground. I grunted, grey ash flying from my impact, and scrambled towards the only evidence against us. Her nails dug into my skin as she strangled me. Asphyxiation made it even harder to cope with the pain that had developed in my throat earlier. Simon came from behind, holding her back and created an opening for me to grab the phone. Sally yelled, hitting Simon hard. He stumbled back. She twisted his arm and pushed him away.

Simon got her off with a low grunt, throwing her against the door. Her eyes widened as she sunk to the floor. There was some fight left in her as she still reached for the phone with a shaky hand. I grabbed her arm and squeezed with all the strength I have left so she could let go. I fell to my knees as my vision began to blur and burn, ashes falling from my hand. Sally's breath became ragged and her skin turned pale like my own. "He was going to kill us, Sally. We had no choice. If you were there, you would have understood what we had to do," I told her with a shaky breath.

"Kori!" Simon shouted, noticing my ill state. The longer I held my hand on Sally, the more I feel better and the worse her condition got. I stared into her eyes as she took one last breath. I wasn't completely healed, my brain felt like it was pounding against my skull.

"Hide her in the freezer at the back. We'll dump her in the lake later," I said hoarsely.

"What just happened?" he cried. "Kori, your eyes flashed gold and… and…"

"I don't know," I said, "I think… I gave her my sickness instead of healing her when I touched her arm." As I said this, I brushed my fingers around his injury on his head, smoke trailing after. All was left was the blood and nothing else. "Your eyes… are so beautiful," I muttered, feeling drained.

"Let's get her body in the freezer first," Simon said, lifting me up to a standing position.

I swayed. "Mm, my Simon," I mumbled, leaning against him.

He backed me into one of the chairs and made me sit down. My head lolled from exhaustion, my eyes following Simon as he lifted Sally's body up. Clumsily, I fished out the storage key and waved it at him. He caught it.

"Stay here, I'll come get you," he said, his jaw twitching. I nodded lazily, finding a comfortable position by lying across the chairs.

* * *

The air smelt of bleach by the time I woke up. I blinked awake, spotting Simon drying up the wet area before putting the cleaning supplies away. He saw that I was awake and went over to me. I didn't expect him to lift me up bridal style and carry me to the bathroom. He ran the sink water and wet some paper towels, then cleaned off the blood on both of us.

"Simon," I said, seeing his inner conflict as he gripped the sink, "we did it to save all of us. She was going to go to the police and have us all sacked. We're in this together."

"My Simon," he muttered. "You had said 'My Simon' to her. Why?"

I blinked, not realizing I had done that. "I'm sorry," I blurted out. Simon turned away from the mirror to look at me. "Look, I genuinely thought that we were going to make some progress, but with your mixed signals and going behind my back… let's just forget it. Forget that moment in the lockers, at your house, everything. Like I've said before, until we sort ourselves out, we should just stay friends."

"Why are you doing this to me?" he asked, hesitating to touch me.

"You're not even touching me now," I pointed out, tears starting to fall out, "I let my walls down so many times with you. I thought I could trust you, but… just tell me what you really feel, okay? You can be yourself around me, you can trust me."

Simon's jaw twitched as he thought of what to say. "I'm sorry."

* * *

I felt limp. For a second, my heart stopped as I closed my eyes. In the morning, I woke up in a strange place. It looks to be a community centre, but surrounded by beer, sheets, and bags. I got up slowly, hearing whistling from downstairs. Footsteps went up and Nathan appeared.

"Where am I?" I asked him. He gave me a confused expression.

"Are you takin' a shit, Annie? You know, the community centre 'cause my mam kicked us out?" he explained, using his hands for emphasis.

I tilted my head. "What? Why would she do that?" I frowned. She was so nice to me, why would she do that? I looked around at the mess. "Where's my glasses?"

Nathan knelt beside me. "Stop kiddin' around, Annie. I'm startin' to get worried… " Nathan paused and said, "Should we check on Kylie?"

I sat up. "Yeah, where is she anyways? At home with mom?"

He smacked a hand to my forehead, then checked my pulse. "You looked sick yesterday," he muttered. "Oh, shit. She's dead, Annie. For months now. We're put into community payback ever since she passed."

I shook my head, not buying it. "Shut up, Nate. Call your mom now!"

* * *

Ten minutes later, I'm curled up in a ball in my orange jumpsuit with Nathan rubbing my back. His mom told me that Kylie died from a rare disease more than four months ago and from anger, I lashed out on the doctor who couldn't save her. I ended up in community service as a result. Before the others got here, Nathan gave a brief summary of each of them and their powers. Apparently, I can heal and have immunity against certain powers, which is why I don't use glasses anymore. When they filed into the room, I tried to act normal, but it was hard when I don't remember them. As I spaced out, I realized that me and a boy named Simon was left alone.

"You alright?" he asked me. I nodded my head as convincing as I can. "You were ill yesterday. Are you feeling alright now?"

"Um, yeah. Thanks for the concern," I said with a smile, walking passed him before could say anything else. I felt his eyes on the back of my head as I left.

* * *

I had a safety mask covering my mouth as Nathan smoked next to me on the bench. There was some cult therapy circle thing happening not too far from us.

"I went with so many boys. And girls, boys and girls at the same time. I took part in... disgusting, perverted, unnatural acts. I was drinking and taking drugs. I used bad language all the time. I called my mum... a fat bitch," a girl spoke, the audience gasping when she revealed her past behavior, "But I'm not like that anymore. I'm a good person."

They all clapped joyfully. "That ain't normal," Nathan remarked, blowing a smoke. I nodded in agreement.

"She went to my school, that girl," the girl named Alisha said, "She would be doing her boyfriend in the car, then she gets off and sits on the stick shift for 20 minutes, just…" Alisha grabbed the back of the bench and pretended to ride a stick shift with grunts and groans.

We stared at her for four minutes in disgust and amusement. She finished with a shrug. "Try that in your driving test. That's getting you a fail. Or a pass... and probably some kind of internal injury," Nathan commented.

"There was also a girl like that at my school," I added, my voice a little muffled from the mask, "Only she was the pastor's daughter that spread awareness and enlightenment. At night, she would sneak off and ride my ex in the car."

Simon frowned. "Why would your boyfriend do that to you?" he asked.

"Nobody's getting' pregnant anymore. What about your friends?" the blond girl, Kelly asked him. I stretched my short legs onto Nathan's lap to angle my body and face Simon.

"I believe that's generally referred to as a 'pedophile ring'," Nathan said. I dug my heel into his thigh. He winced, pushing my leg off him.

"I'm not a pedophile," Simon insisted, his jaw doing that twitching motion when he's angry or anxious.

"Yeah? You'd screw your own sister for a slice of cheese," Nathan challenged.

"I don't even like cheese," Simon countered with distaste.

"That makes it even worse, you sick bastard," Nathan said in disgust. I smacked his head. Two people dressed in khaki, white, and cream headed towards the circle. "Why are you all dressed like retards?" Nathan called out the guy.

The guy laughed politely. "There's a meeting at the community centre tonight. You should come along and find out, all of you," he said.

"Right, cool. See you there, buddy," Nathan said insincerely as the guy and the girl walked away.

"He used to be a right head-case," Curtis said in disbelief. "This is weird."

* * *

We were back inside the community centre, standing around for the probation worker. Nathan played around with a soccer ball and kicked it to me. I kicked it back with more force, causing the ball to hit his stomach. He fell backwards dramatically, like he was mimicking The Matrix.

"She never leaves," Kelly said.

"Maybe she's gone on a holiday," Simon suggested. He didn't look at anyone as he said this.

"Did she tell you that?" Curtis asked him. Simon nodded. "No, without someone to cover?"

"We should phone probation headquarters to send someone down here now to supervise us!" Nathan whined.

Alisha exchanged a smirk with Curtis who followed her somewhere. Simon was spacing out when Nathan kicked the ball by his head. He jumped in shock and glared at him. Nathan smirked. Simon grabbed the nearest box and threw it at him. Nathan shouted but found it amusing.

"Well, this is intense," he said. Simon continued to glare at him, then stalked off. Nathan grabbed the soccer ball.

"Don't, Nathan," Kelly pleaded with an exasperated tone.

I blocked the ball before it could go any further. Nathan pouted, towering over me. "Even without your memory you still like the weird bastard," he spat childishly. "You betray me."

"You what?" Kelly asked, overhearing him.

"Oh, uh, I said 'even without your… dignity, you still like the weird bastard," Nathan covered up with a smile.

Kelly shook her head, going after Simon. I gave Nathan a look and went to the locker room with her. There was an awkward silence once we were all changed.

"You just need to ignore Nathan. He's a dick," Kelly told him. Simon looked up at her. "He doesn't care what others says to him. He thinks it's the same for everyone."

"It's not, is it?" Simon said, walking up to her.

"I'll talk to him. Surely, Kori has been tellin' him loads of times. I'll tell him to back off, yeah?" Kelly offered. Kelly narrowed her eyes. "What you talkin' 'bout?"

Simon fixed his hair nervously. "Nothing." He looked down and left.

Why does Nathan pick on him all the time? I can't remember him, but I don't think he's done anything wrong to him. Nathan's just being a prick again.

"I knew it," Kelly spoke up, looking at me.

"What?" I asked, clueless. It slipped my mind that she could hear people's thoughts.

"You really can't remember anything?" Kelly asked me.

I shook my head. "I only have memories before the court-ordered community service. I can't remember any of you besides Nathan," I paused, fiddling with my hair. "What is my relationship… with Simon?"

Kelly smirked. "Don't know. I think you're just friends but you two should be together."

I smiled, leaving the locker room. Something grabbed my arm led me to a hallway at the back. Simon turned visible, pushing me back on the wall. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I guess my acting skills aren't really convincing," I remarked, shrinking away from him.

"What have you done to Kori?" he demanded lowly.

"It's me, it's just that… I don't know you. Any of you. How many times do I have to repeat myself? I don't know what's going on and why I can't remember. I'm trying to take it in stride but it's all so confusing when there's so many things I've forgot and I don't know why I'm telling you all of this," I confessed in one breath.

"You were supposed to be dead," he said solemnly. "You collapsed in the bathroom and your heart stopped beating. When I saw you this morning, I thought your powers brought you back, but I guess it didn't for your memory. So, you don't know what happened last night?"

I shook my head slowly. "We weren't… you know." I gestured between us. "Last night…" He frowned. "Shagging," I came out.

"What, no," he said.

"Oh," was all I said, a bit disappointed. He's really cute. I fiddled with my hair again. "Do you want to go out? As friends, I mean," I added quickly. "Just to get a drink or two. You don't have to, it's just that one of my last memories is discovering that my boyfriend cheated on me like it was last week and I'd just learned that my sister died. I kind of want to get over it."

Simon hesitated, looking down the corridor. I followed his sight but saw nothing. His head snapped back to me and he gulped. "Are you okay with that?" he asked.

I nodded. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's been complicated."

* * *

I lounged in a wheelchair along with Simon, Kelly, and Curtis when we saw Alisha walking passed with a strange outfit similar to those who were in that circle from this morning. "What is up with that?" Kelly said. Curtis got up to talk to her.

They were all concerned about her. I leaned against the bathroom wall and waited for Nathan to finish taking a piss. Curtis, Simon, and Kelly preferred to stay away and out of view of his privates. Since I grew up with him, it doesn't really faze me.

"She's saying all this weird stuff about sex and that. She says she's saving herself until she's ready to make a proper commitment," Curtis told us.

"It's a sad day for all of us when a bird like that decides it's time to pull up her knickers," Nathan said, zipping up his pants.

"You realize that's my girlfriend you're talkin' about," Curtis snapped.

"And I feel your pain." Nathan laid a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

Curtis shrugged it off. "Wash your hands before you touch people."

"Erm, are you done?" Kelly asked impatiently, her back towards us.

"Relax, the beast is in its cage," Nathan told her. Kelly turned around and grimaced. "He is sleepin'. Shh." He pressed a finger against his lips.

Curtis pushed him aside. "It's that lot we saw yesterday outside," he said angrily. "She's dressin' like that. They did something to her!"

"What? Like brainwash or something?" Kelly asked.

"It's the storm," Simon added.

"How do you know that," Nathan challenged.

"When weird stuff happens, it's always the storm. Haven't you figured it out yet?"

"He's got a point," Curtis admitted.

Nathan stared at him. "Did you just suddenly grow a set of balls?" He emphasized 'balls' along with hand motions. I rolled my eyes.

Simon stood up to him. "I've always had a set of balls. You've just never seen them."

"That is about the gayest thing I've ever heard," Nathan laughed.

"You're jealous 'cause you don't have any, Nate," I told him. "Now can we move on to the situation we're having." Nathan smiled with pride.

"Yeah, we need to find out what's goin' on with her," Kelly agreed with me.

"I really love it when you degrade me, shorty," Nathan told me, licking his lips and flashed a wink. "Wanna steal some liquor from the kitchen tonight?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively. "I'll prove I do have a set of balls."

"No, you don't. Simon does," I said, amused.

"Prove it. I bet 50 pounds to pull down his trousers and give him a blowjob," Nathan said with a smirk.

I blinked. "We shouldn't be going out alone. If it's some type of brainwashing Children of the Corn cult, then there's a chance that they'll pick us out individually," I said, ignoring Nathan. He mimed a blowjob motion as we left him alone in the bathroom.

* * *

Curtis went out to look for Alisha despite my warning. Kelly stayed back to eat pizza with Nathan. I looked between the two and projected my question to Kelly. She shook her head, denying that they're interested in each other. I went with Simon to his place, listening to his iPod on the way there.

Simon was at the computer when I came back with our tea. He thanked me and offered a chair. His room felt comfortable with strips of the solar system running along the walls and DVD cases organized by the window.

"You make videos?" I asked him.

He nodded. "It's what I like doing. Making and editing them together."

I hummed, impressed by his talents. "Do you have any videos of me? I want to see." I leaned closer to the computer.

"Um… okay."

He showed me videos on the storm, our hours doing community service picking up trash or lounging around. There was one video he had in the folder of me changing in the locker room. He went to change it, but I stopped his hand and continued to watch. The video switched to us alone on a roof, just talking about nothing in particular. I had laughed in the video as I told him about how Nathan's use of socks after masturbating. A wank sock, he called it.

After a while, I checked the time. "It's late," I told him.

His jaw twitched. "Too late for you to walk by yourself," he said. "You should stay here for the night… I can sleep on the couch and you can take my bed."

I smiled. "How sweet of you," I said. "Have I ever stayed the night, before?"

He nodded. "Nothing happened. We were just hanging out and you were tired, so I'd let you stay over."

"I don't feel tired right now," I said. I waited expectantly, wanting to watch more videos.

"Uh, um…," he stuttered. "Want to watch Star Trek?"

"Sure, play it."

* * *

We had cut the movie short to get to the centre early. We saw Curtis dressed in those ridiculous clothes in the community centre, heading outside. Simon and I peered around the corner, watching the Virtue Cult burn coke and an iron curler into a barrel of fire. "Burn the drugs! Burn it!" They chanted. They applauded and cheered the person's achievement to let go distractions and starting a new life.

"Have you seen Curtis?" Simon spoke lowly once Kelly and Nathan joined us.

"They got him last night at the community centre," Nathan replied in a whisper. "It was some spooky shit."

"It's her," Kelly said, referring to the leader, "She's doing that to them."

We went back inside, looking for the probation worker. "Where is she?" Kelly asked, seeing the office empty.

"There's never a probation worker around when you need one," Nathan said exasperated. He turned and pointed to Simon. "You were suckin' up to her last week. So much that you made my little Annie jealous. Where is she?"

"I don't know," he answered, fixing his hair nervously.

"We need to tell her what she's doin'," Kelly said.

"Oh, yeah. 'Help! Everyone's stopped takin' drugs and urinatin' in the streets'. Who we gonna tell? This is every police and parent's wet dream," Nathan countered sarcastically. He sighed. "Come on, Barry. You're good at this stuff. Think of somethin'."

"Who's Barry?" Simon asked with a frown, angry that he forgot his name.

"You are," Nathan said like it was obvious. Simon looked at him in disbelief.

"His name's Simon," Kelly said, crossing her arms.

"Nate, I'm the one that lost her memory and even I know that," I added.

"Is it? I thought it was Barry. Sorry man," Nathan apologized, hitting his arm.

"Curtis is on a leash out there. It's down to us," Kelly reminded him. "No one else is going to do shit."

Alisha started to walk past the windows of the event hall. "Shit!" Nathan exclaimed, hiding behind a pillar with us close behind.

"We need her to get away from here," I said. "We need to find out what they've done to her."

"What about the part we can't touch her?" Simon asked, his voice next to my ear.

"Shorty can help with that. She might rip your clothes off, but she won't jump her. And what if that virtue bitch shows up? She is vexing them with some kind of Derren Brown voodoo mind shit. The rest of us need to gear up," Nathan said.

I frowned. "What do you mean I might rip his clothes off?" I asked him, genuinely confused.

"You made out with me the last time she used her powers on you," Simon answered awkwardly.

"Oh… that's not that bad," I muttered. He gave me a look, which I ignored.

* * *

I watched as Simon, Kelly, and Nathan got ready. They plugged in their iPods and put on yellow rubber gloves. Simon adjusted his clothes and sucked in a breath. Nathan zipped up his jacket and skimmed through his iPod.

"What are you doin'?" Kelly asked.

Nathan held out a hand. "You gotta have the right track for this kind of thing. Annie doesn't understand 'cause she doesn't need epic gear like this. You need something up tempo with a bit of edge to it. I'm thinking Jay-Z, maybe a little Dizzy."

"Just pick one for focks sake," Kelly said impatiently.

"Oh, yes. This is the beat," Nathan nodded in appreciation. He looked at the three of us, then lead our march to save Alisha.

We appeared from the corner just as Alisha turned down the corridor. The three of them pulled an earbud out. "We take her out by the fire exit. You two boys go along the back. Check that nobody's there. Don't screw up," Kelly warned.

"I won't," Nathan assured us. "Let's do it." With that, they plugged in their earbuds and went to their battle stations.

I strode over to Kelly's side as we approached the archive room that Alisha was in. This familiarity of walking next to her to save someone… the memories were coming back in bits and pieces. It was on our first day at the community centre, running from our first probation worker. I had a terrible feeling that something will go wrong, though. With their earbuds blasting music, they can resist the cult leader, Rachel's, powers. That also means they can't hear each other. My thoughts became a reality as Kelly attempted to talk to Alisha, only to fail. As a result, she grabbed Alisha. She shouted for Curtis as Simon and Nathan was pounding on the door to let them in. I locked the door before Curtis and Rachel could get in. I struggled to reach the door, but Alisha managed to kick me back before I touched the handle. The pounding has stopped from the exit, but Curtis managed to bust through the entrance. He dragged me up and grabbed Kelly off Alisha. Kelly's earbuds were off, leaving her vulnerable to Rachel's power. Alisha held Kelly's arms behind her back while Curtis pinned my arms.

"Look at you two," Rachel said in disappointment. "I can help you understand."

"Kori, just run!" Kelly ordered me. "Leave me!"

"You're better than this," Rachel told us. Kelly stopped struggling.

I had to think. "Kori's immune to powers. This will do nothing to her," Curtis told Rachel. "What should we do?"

"Lock her up somewhere," Rachel said, eyeing me.

Shit. I kicked at Curtis' knee, elbowed his gut and dropped down, slipping from his grasp. It gave me an opening to run the fuck out and find Nathan and Simon. I was in trouble if Curtis chases after me. He was going to be in the Olympics after all. Busting through the doors, I realized that they were everywhere. I regret not working out before all of this. I ran off to the bridges that stood over the highways, past two girls who told me to join their meetings. No, ladies, I'm trying to save the world. Don't interrupt me. I turned right at an intersection as cult followers closed in. Nathan and Simon's voice could be heard from down below. One of the followers grabbed me as I made my way down. I yanked my shoulder away, the momentum causing me to tumble down the stairs. I scrambled up and joined the boys.

"You left Kelly, you could have left us, you idiot!" Nathan shouted at me.

"I love you two too much to do that," I snapped.

"Come on, use your power. Save us!" Nathan cried desperately at Simon.

His eyes widened. "After everything you've done to me, you want me to save you?"

"Yes, get on with it, you little freak," Nathan grabbed his shirt and shook him. I pushed Nathan aside.

"Please, Simon," I told him, squeezing his arm.

"Kori, turn invisible," he told me. I looked at him quizzically. "You somehow got my power as well. Turn invisible and come with me."

"I can't leave my brother!"

* * *

I waited in the back room, my bag waiting across from me. Nathan had probably left by now. First, they took Alisha, then Curtis, then Kelly. Simon had left us, fleeing with his invisibility powers. As much as I wanted to turn invisible myself, to run away with Simon, I couldn't leave Nathan. He had held an arm in front of me, shielding me from the hoard of horrible saints. Just then, two bicycles rode past then slowed so we could hop on. Nathan pushed me towards the man bicyclist while he jumped on the back of the other. They rode with top speed, escaping the hoard. Nathan shouted from the adrenaline, waving a hand in the air. The bicyclist led us under the nearest highway bridge once they were gone. The bike that Nathan rode on stopped suddenly, causing him to fly off. I braced myself on my bike, waiting for the same fate. Oddly, the smell of this cyclist was too familiar. He slowed the bike into a complete stop and helped me off the bike.

"Thank you," I whispered. The man looked at me with his blue eyes before he nodded to his partner and sped off.

"Why couldn't you just let me off like you did with Annie?" Nathan shouted. "But thanks for saving us."

Nathan later told me about his plan to leave after visiting Kelly. I tried to tell him that there should be another way to stop it. I told him about my plan to disguise ourselves to be like them so we could blend in and get to the crazy bitch that started all of this. He left anyways, saying there was nothing we could do. I packed my own bags and waited, hoping he changed his mind.

Suddenly, the door swung open and bags flew in. "Project Rapture is a go!" Nathan said and started to strip. I smiled, grabbing my own gear.

We popped out one at a time in white and cream Jehovah witness style outfits. Nathan actually looked smart in his cream suit while I dressed in a flowy cream skirt and white blouse. I refused to wear heels in any form despite my height or lack thereof, so I sported some ballet flats.

"Good morning," Nathan greeted the people passing by with the most polite voice I've heard in years. He knocked on the door as soon as they were out of sight.

I jumped out and followed Nathan to the community centre. Simon was still nowhere to be found, but for now, it's up to us. Before opening the door to the event hall, Nathan sucked in a breath. I nodded to him, telling him I was ready. I turned invisible on the spot and followed my Irish brother behind.

"Good morning, Curtis," Nathan greeted.

Curtis smiled. "Nathan, I'm so glad you to decide to join us. Would you like to sign?" Curtis handed a clipboard to Nathan.

"What is this?" He asked politely.

"It's a petition against schools giving out contraceptives," Curtis explained. "Will you sign?"

"There is only one thing ladies should be inserting in themselves, and it's knowledge," Nathan said, scribbling his name without looking before handing it back. He spotted Rachel and excused himself.

I turned away with a grimace. From within my skirt pocket, was a water pistol. We couldn't get a gun in a first place, so it's the closest we got. Once we were both in the office, I closed the door behind us. I was immune to her powers, so her preaching of "doing better" doesn't work on me. She tried to explain why she had those powers, because people teased that she was a virgin and all. Nathan interrupted her, demanding to change things back to how it was. She didn't know how, and, of course, he couldn't hear that. I whipped out my own gun and grabbed her, gesturing for Nathan to follow. He held the others back as I dragged her to the roof. Once up there, I pushed her away from the door. Nathan barricaded it with chairs.

"Where are you going to go?" Rachel said.

"I want my friends back. I can't heal them like before, this is different," I shouted at her.

"How can you heal them? I did. I showed them that they're better than delinquents," she said, stepping towards me. "You're better than this."

I laughed in her face, taking out a razor from my pocket. Without warning, I dragged it deeply across my arm, letting the blood trickle down. She backed away in disgust. I grabbed her arm so she could see as smoke seeped from the wound as it sizzled and close up.

"I know exactly what I can do. I can heal, I have immunity, and I can give people illnesses," I told her, recalling the time I found out about the doctor's death. "I can use other powers with control and best of all," I pulled her closer so Nathan couldn't hear, "I cannot die. Whatever happens, I'm not afraid."

My eyes flickered to the corner of the roof where I saw Simon's outline. He left us and was here the whole time? Lets just hope that he's got a backup plan. Nathan dragged her to the edge of the roof, the others gathered on the ground. He made a big speech of being disappointed in them because they're wearing cardigans.

"She's got you thinking this is how you're supposed to be. Well, it's not! We're young. We're supposed to drink too much. We're supposed to have bad attitudes and shag each other's brains out. We are designed to party. This is it. Yeah, so a few of us will overdose or go mental. But Charles Darwin said you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. And that's what it's all about - breaking eggs! And by eggs, I do mean, getting twatted on a cocktail of Class A's. If you could just see yourselves! It breaks my heart. You're wearing cardigans! We had it all. We fucked up bigger and better than any generation that came before us. We were so beautiful! We're screw-ups. I'm a screw-up and I plan to be a screw-up until my late 20s, maybe even my early 30s. And I will shag my own mother before I let her... or anyone else, take that away from me!" It was then I saw Nathan's gun began to leak water.

"You tried to threaten me with a water gun? Rachel asked incredulously.

"Yeah, so what?" Nathan sprayed her with water.

They struggled for a while. I jumped in, ripping her away from Nathan. Her hand caught my collar, her weight dragging me down with her. I reached for Nathan who was also struggling to stay on the roof, the fight causing him to balance between roof and gravity. My back felt like bones were ripping out from the skin and something began to grow.

"Save me Barry!" Nathan cried out. Simon appeared in front of him, but everything after that vanished as I hit the ground, the color of flames and the sound of flapping being the last thing I saw and heard.

* * *

My body was kept near Nathan's grave. I didn't know how long I had to wait, because the last time was only minor. The rare sickness had my body slowly turn to ashes, but when I had woken up, I was healthy again. The man in the black outfit had sent me a note when he rescued me. As he had helped me off his bike, he slipped it in my pocket. It said to follow the instructions carefully and we would both be alive at the end. The very last instruction was to never leave Simon. I didn't understand, since the instructions required my death and resurrection. How were they to know? The man wrote that I shouldn't worry about Nathan. I haven't told Nathan about the man yet.

I felt my life energy slowly returning in my ashen body. Only a few inches away was Nathan's grave. I concentrated to search for his heartbeat, finding only faint signals that grew by the second. His heart rate peaked as he banged on his coffin door. I laughed, now knowing the reason not to worry about Nathan.

"I've got a power. I bloody knew it! Who's laughing now? ...I'm alive! Help! HELP! You buried me alive you dicks! Help! ...I'm immortal. That's just great. Thank you. Thanks a lot. Un-fucking-believable."

All we had to do was wait.

* * *

**An: As she fell, it's sort of revealed what type of power she's got in general. I thought it would be a change if she lost her memory after healing herself. This would take a lot of energy to do, since the illness was quicker than her sister's. Kori's not that perfect with her insecurities and her secret aggressive and possessive nature. I figured that if someone's going to be Nathan's bff and sister, it would be someone sort of sociopathic... if that's the right term.**


End file.
